New moniker for SAG/AFTRA?

Leaders in the Screen Stars Guild as well as the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists haven't yet made a decision what they'll call the combined union, should people approve a merger next season, but it's highly probable the SAG and AFTRA names can survive. Reps in the unions meet a couple of days ago in the third number of confabs to hammer out particulars in the merger plan using the goal of showing one last proposal for the national boards within the month of the month of january. Reps for SAG and AFTRA did not have discuss the chance title. Several sources have stressed the title is not spoken about formally yet but strongly declare that the SAG and AFTRA names will both remain. The SAG/AFTRA Group for starters Union will begin meeting Friday and conclude on Tuesday. Inside the two previous conferences in June and August, the unions have revealed only general particulars in regards to the substance of discusssions. The group's careful approach contrasts while using tack attracted in 2003 when the merger advocates selected an ambitious moniker -- the Alliance of Intl. Media Artists. SAG voters then narrowly switched lower the proposal, which needed a 60% super-majority to endure. Advocates contended because campaign the brand new union may well be more effective and would remove jurisdicitional overlaps but rivals contended that the benefits of the completely new union were minimal which SAG may have lost its character becoming an stars union. The AIMA designation might have been for your combined organization getting a trio of affiliate entrepreneurs -- SAG for stars the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists for tv producers as well as the American Federation of Recording Artists for recording artists. Merger advocates mentioned in those days the state group discover the title as the easiest method to "best identify media pros who work all over the world in many disciplines."SAG was founded in 1933 and held numerous festivities couple of years ago to commemorate its 75th anniversary. The predecessor of AFTRA was founded in 1937 since the American Federation of Radio Artists. SAG is now offering about 120,000 people while AFTRA has about 70,000. About 45,000 artists participate in both unions. Contact Dork McNary at dork.mcnary@variety.com

Enter The Cut 'Footloose' Sweepstakes

FROM HOLLYWOOD CRUSH: Kenny Wormald and Julianne Hough aren't the only ones cutting loose for the remake of the classic '80s dance flick "Footloose." Country star Blake Shelton will also kick off his Sunday shoes on the soundtrack with a remake of the toe-tapping "Footloose" theme song (originally sung by Kenny Loggins). And you can join in the fun! In celebration of the flick's release this Friday, we're giving away one skinned guitar signed by Mr. Shelton himself! And entering for a chance to win couldn't be easier. All you have to do is answer a few simple questions (which you'll find after the jump) by October 18, and you'll be entered for a chance to win! Get the full details at Hollywood Crush!

HBOs Enlightened Off To A Soft Start

Opening a new night of original programming is not easy, so expectations for HBO’s new Monday 9 PM comedy block — which faces CBS’ comedies, ABC’s Dancing With The Stars, Fox’s House and ESPN’s Monday Night Football — were modest. Even by that standard, the well-received new Mike White/Laura Dern comedy Enlightened opened low with 210,000 viewers at 9:30 PM. It slipped a little from its lead-in, the third season premiere of Bored To Death, which drew 240,000 viewers. Quirky noir comedy Bored To Dead was down dramatically from its season premiere last fall, which averaged 1.05 million viewers, but back then, the show aired on Sundays following Boardwalk Empire, which drew 3.33 million viewers on the night of the Bored debut. This time around, it is dark comedy Hung that follows Boardwalk Empire and, like Bored to Death last year, it opened with 1.1 million viewers earlier this month. (Boardwalk Empire logged 2.6 million that night) Sophomore comedy How To Make It To America dropped further to 467,000 viewers at 10:30 PM. While soft, the numbers for Bored and Enlightened were only slightly down from the average for another half-hour series that aired outside HBO’s signature Sunday night, drama In Treatment.

IMG Letter Removed Mike Ovitz From Board

Michael Ovitz And IMG World And Teddy Forstmanns Brain Cancer: The Particular Story, In Addition To What Ovitz Described Relating To This There will not be any formal announcement because IMG anxiously wants all the dangerous consult with quiet lower.And so the unsavory Michael Ovitz situation was handled in privatethis week getting a proper IMG letter eliminating him from owner Teddy Forstmann’s advisory board. (One insider notifies me that three other board individuals who backed Ovitz’s allegedtakeoverattempt were removed too. However haven't any additional confirmation so won’t enter detail.)Thus ignobly finishes another of Ovitz’s longest personal and professional associations after hewas billed with maneuveringto run and/or own the world management and production giantwhile 71-year-old Teddy fought against brain cancer.The accusations against Ovitz incorporated that hewas disturbing management by demanding IMG financial records pressuring leader/COO Mike Dolan and senior IMG professionals to account to him by attempting to setup a so-referred to as executive committee within the board to supervise IMG activities because of Forstmanns illness and treatment and approaching Forstmann, Little & Co partners and traders allowing them to know he was considering buying IMG while using backing of Greg OHara, the controlling director of just one Equity Partners LLC. Ovitz strenuously declined tome all the allegationsand was adament that running Teds customers are not something Im considering at this time around. My job is always to support my friend who's really sick.” However, with pals similar to this round the eve of Yom Yippur, who needs competitors?

2011 U.S. Album Sales Still Strong After Three Quarters

As the year heads into its home stretch, things are looking up for the U.S. music industry -- sales are on track to increase over the previous year, something that hasn't happened since 2004. PHOTOS: MTV VMAs 2011: Red Carpet Arrivals With nine months of 2011 down, album sales stand at 228.5 million, according to Nielsen SoundScan -- up 3.3% from the 221.1 million albums sold in the corresponding period of 2010. Overall U.S. unit sales, meanwhile, are up 7.2% to 1.18 billion, from 1.1 billion last year. And when albums including track equivalents are taken into account -- whereby 10 song downloads count as one album unit - albums have jumped 5.4%, to 323.7 million from 307.1 million. The positive showing for album sales can primarily be attributed to the digital format, where the configuration's scans are up 19.7% to 74.1 million units, compared to 61.9 million units in 2010's first nine months. PHOTOS: The Music Industry's Greatest Givers But it's not only digital numbers that are encouraging. Though physical sales are down from last year, the dip isn't nearly as drastic as music executives had long grown used to. CD sales have decreased only 3.6% this year, after experiencing declines ranging between 18%-20% in each of the five previous years. A banner year from Adele has helped across the board. Her album 21 has moved nearly 3.8 million units, while the best-selling title at the corresponding time last year -- Eminem's Recovery -- had garnered 2.7 million units by the end of the third quarter. PHOTOS: Top 10 Highest Paid Music Artists With 1.3 million units sold digitally, 21 is the best-selling album in the digital format since SoundScan began tracking such sales in 2003. Adele's song "Rolling In The Deep," with 5.2 million paid downloads, is likewise the best-selling title in the digital format. Where market share is concerned, Universal Music Group has finally pulled away from Sony Music Entertainment, which had been nipping close at its heels for the first six months of 2011. At the end of the nine-month period, UMG's market share tallied 30.3%, while Sony's stood at 28.9%. Meanwhile, the Warner Music Group's market share totaled 18.7% and EMI's came in at 9%. Independent labels' market share, as determined by distribution ownership, totaled 12.6%. Billboard will present a more comprehensive article on third-quarter stats, including market share by label ownership, in the coming days. Related Topics Eminem Adele

Stars Arrived At Support Reading through through

On Monday, the NY City organization Kids of Bellevue Hospital situated its 15th annual Starry Evening Tales, a celebration where noted stars read excerpts from children's tales to recruit volunteers and contributor for your hospital's Achieve Out and study program.This Years quantity of stars incorporated Julianne Moore, Samuel L. Jackson (who read with Moore from her children's book "Freckleface Strawberry: Close Buddies Forever"), John C. Reilly, Billy Crudup, Ana Gasteyer, Brooke Shields, and LaTanya Richardson.Achieve Out and Read's mission is always to prepare the city's youngest children to attain school, as research ensures that youngsters that are read to while very youthful create a strong foundation for later learning and ultimately stick out at school. The program matched up in the artists while using tales they read, wanting to inspire the adult audience individuals to volunteer or donate money."Anybody getting a brain inside their mind sees that reading through to children is important,In . mentioned Reilly. "Not just for reading through through capabilities, along with the special connection that occurs between children as well as the individuals who read on their behalf.In . The nearest friend of Reilly's mother-in-law might be the program's outgoing director, Linda van Schaick."The most effective gifts we could give a child might be the adoration for reading through through, which is never too early to begin,In . mentioned van Schaick.Crudup mentioned he read to their personal boy each night because they was maturing, and Moore, an honorary co-chair of Achieve Out and study, mentioned her mother and boy both volunteer while using program. When asked for the way the 2010 event compared to people previously years, she mentioned getting fun, "It's determined by the amount of money they've created.InchAchieve Out and study also partners with doctors to prescribe books throughout exams, wanting to encourage families, especially people dwelling in poverty, to determine together."In the event you request the pediatricians in this room, they'll inform you how significant that is,In . mentioned Perri Klass, the organization's national medical director. "It's something all of us do for that own children, which is something that can be done to help a youthful child each day.Inch

Still Existence (Stillleben)

A FreibeuterFilm, Lotus Film production. Created by Oliver Neumann, Erich Lackner, Thomas Pridnig, Peter Wirthensohn. Directed by Sebastian Meise. Script, Thomas Reider, Meise.With: Fritz Hoertenhuber, Christoph Luser, Daniela Golpashin, Roswitha Soukup, Anja Plaschg.Calling your movie "Still Existence" most likely is not the easiest way of being bold inside a crowd, particularly when the film is an additional Austrian pic about pedophilia. Tyro helmer Sebastian Meise's fresh tack would be to make his protag a perv in thought instead of deed, however the results don't add much towards the discussion. San Sebastian's First Film jury gave "Still Existence" a respectable mention, that ought to help fest reservations but very little else. Bernhard (Christoph Luser) sees father Gerhard (Fritz Hoertenhuber) hands an email to some streetwalker (Anja Plaschg) and accompany her to some brothel. He follows them and steals the note, which instructs the prostitute to pretend she's Gerhard's daughter, Lydia, growing up. Deeply disturbed, Bernhard passes the note towards the now-adult Lydia (Daniela Golpashin), who's naturally freaked out, though their mother (Roswitha Soukup) appears most disturbed the secret she type of understood about is outside. Gerhard, a recuperating alcoholic who never really molested his daughter, does not get sound advice and will get a rifle. Repression is communicated via hardened faces, no less than interfamily dialogue along with a nicely controlled camera.Camera (color), Gerald Kerkletz editor, Julia Drack music, Cleaning soap&Skin production designers, Katharina Woeppermann, Anja Ronacher costume designer, Woeppermann. Examined at San Sebastian Film Festival (Zabaltegi New Company directors), Sept. 21, 2011. Running time: 76 MIN. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com